Brainstorming is a practice that most businesses need to employ from time to time, but it’s not as simple as just getting a bunch of people together with a whiteboard and some sticky notes. It’s a real skill. It requires a lot of preparation, guidance, structure and a plan. You need to be able to […]
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What does the store of the future look like? The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the entire world, and retailers are no exception. While countless well known brands have closed their doors for good, others have adapted with new and innovative ways of doing business. An accelerated move to online shopping, the ability to buy online and pick up in
Think: Inspiring the Future of Retail Read More »
For sports teams, like those which fans can bet on by learning details such as Coral Opening Times, the brand is everything, it’s massive. Fan behavior in which individuals feel their own self-identity is intertwined with a team, even to the extent that the team’s performance is felt on a deeply personal level, has been
How Sports Teams Create a Sense of Belonging Read More »
COVID-19 has significantly impacted almost all major industries, including foodservice, banking, retail and CPG by slowing down some aspects of day to day operations while accelerating others; for example technology adoption. These disruptions have also affected consumer perceptions about the future and therefore are changing their shopping preferences. Our recent studies clearly identified that consumers are
The Two Customer Personas of COVID-19 Read More »
We all know COVID has changed the game for many retail categories. Some have been obvious winners and others are feeling extremely strained. For the fashion industry, some are saying the pandemic may be a day of reckoning and there are many news about fashion now a days including information about the famous Paul Smith’s
What COVID-19 Means for the Fashion Industry Read More »
MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME Cox Communications wanted to welcome customers into a comfortable store experience that put interaction and learning first, in a fluid, relaxed environment. CLIENT Cox Communications PROJECT Store Re-Design 2.0 RELATED SERVICE Brand Strategy Retail Design THINK In 2010 SLD worked with Cox Communications to create a retail store experience. We made
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Your brand’s reputation does a great deal of heavy lifting: it draws in and retains loyal consumers while paving a path to long-term success. Unfortunately, brand reputation is also the most fragile asset your brand owns. As Warren Buffet put it, “it takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.”
How to Overcome Negative Brand Perceptions Read More »
The perks of operating your own independent business are often outweighed by the enormous burdens that come along with it. You become a de facto marketer, administrator, HR specialist. You work incredibly long hours and no matter what category you’re in, you’re facing increasing competition, both for clients and talent from larger organizations. For the Canadian
Change Management and Creating a Unified Brand Read More »
The retail industry is one that has been significantly impacted by technology with the growth of online-only retail platforms, the rising cost of labor and the growth of alternative payment platforms such as mobile wallets. Ironically, in spite of this disruption, our retail consumer study conducted in May clearly identifies that retail stores remain a
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To help retailers better understand how to navigate through COVID-19 and its eventual aftermath, SLD has conducted consumer and industry studies to determine how the needs and behaviors of shoppers have been impacted by the current pandemic. Watch as Jean-Pierre Lacroix, President of SLD, and Lance Itkoff, President and CEO of Grafton Apparel (parent company of Tip
COVID-19: How Retailer’s Can Remain Relevant Read More »
On Thursday, June 18, SLD’s Jean-Pierre Lacroix will be joining Future Branches and Time Trade for an exclusive webinar on “Retail Banking’s New Reality & the Future of the Branch.” In this webinar the likely repercussions of COVID-19 for retail branch banking will be discussed, as will recommendations on what banks and credit unions can do
Retail Banking’s New Reality & the Future of the Branch Read More »
While COVID-19 has been the primary concern for brands around the world over the past few months, the recent killing of George Floyd and subsequent protests in both America and abroad have changed the focus for many brands. Over the weekend it became common to see companies voice their support for racial equality and the
How Retailers Can Help Reduce Consumer Anxiety Read More »
Amidst COVID-19, many retail industry experts’ response to the pandemic has been to question the future relevance of the bricks and mortar retail channel. They argue the pandemic has accelerated the current damage created by trade wars, the consumer shift to online retailers and the fact that North America is over stored, leading to the
Strategies For Retail Brands During and After COVID-19 Read More »
Origin Story Place and product inspire an award-winning design. CLIENT Alex Coulombe Ltee. PROJECT Montellier Brand Design RELATED SERVICE Brand Strategy Visual Identity Design Package Design Web Design Out of Home Marketing THINK When designing for an exceptional product in a fiercely competitive category, ensuring its natural qualities shine through is the key. For Montellier’s
Download This Report and Take It With You! China’s post-pandemic shift to a new normal started more than a month ago, with the majority of businesses fully operational. The pandemic has temporarily slowed China’s growth, due in part to the disruption in exports as most Western countries’ manufacturing and service industries remain significantly impacted by
What Banks Can Learn From China’s Handling of COVID-19 Read More »
The past few months have been a whirlwind of ups and downs for CPG brands as the COVID-19 crisis presents new challenges and opportunities. From manufacturing and processing plant contagion to panic buying and empty shelves, CPG brands are under pressure and as part of the food supply chain, that pressure isn’t going to let
COVID-19: CPG’s New Reality Read More »
To help CPG brands better understand how to navigate through COVID-19 and its eventual aftermath, SLD has conducted consumer and industry studies to determine how the needs and behaviors of shoppers have been impacted by the current pandemic. Watch as Jean-Pierre Lacroix, President of SLD, and Gerri Brownstein, Publisher at BXP Magazine, discuss the results
COVID-19: How CPG Brand’s Can Remain Relevant Read More »
As cannabis legalization sweeps through North America there’s been a corresponding race for brands entering the market in what has amounted to a gold rush turn green. And Organigram is one such brand, they’ve been in the market from the time that medical cannabis became legal in Canada in 2013 and they now offer a
The Highs and Lows of the Legal Cannabis Industry Read More »
The past few months have been a whirlwind of ups and downs for CPG brands as the COVID-19 crisis presents new challenges and opportunities. From manufacturing and processing plant contagion to panic buying and empty shelves, CPG brands are under pressure and as part of the food supply chain, that pressure isn’t going to let
Short-Term Strategies for CPG Brands Amidst COVID-19 Read More »
Fitted Confidence Tip Top leverages an updated brand and store design to revitalize their brand for a new generation. CLIENT Grafton Apparel Ltd. PROJECT Tip Top Store Experience RELATED SERVICE Brand Strategy Visual Identity Design Digital Experiences Retail Design THINK Tip Top wanted to appeal to a younger demographic – but without alienating their existing
